Coral Bloom Mantas
In the time before The Sundered Wastes became The Sundered Wastes, the region was home to an ocean abundant with marine life, teeming with all manners of creatures that have gone extinct. Among these long lost species was the majestic Coral Bloom Manta.
The mantas were named for their vibrant, coral-like coloration, and grew to colossal size resulting in actual corals blooming on their exterior. Each manta was it's own little world, smaller species riding along with it's slow movements feeding off of what grew on it. The largest recorded size of this manta was over one hundred meters from wingtip to wingtip! In fact, some of the remains of these mantas have been found in the desert and are used to this day as shelters from the dust storms, sun, and usually have small camps built inside of them for those travelling through the desert.
These gentle giants were filter feeders, sifting vast quantities of plankton and small sea creatures from the water with their cavernous mouths. One could see them near the surface when feeding as they would rise up to the surface collecting anything along the way, one or two passes to the surface would feed the manta for a day.
As the climate changed and the seas retreated, the Coral Bloom Mantas could no longer survive. Their colossal size, which allowed them to flourish at the peak of their lifetime, was also their downfall. They required immense volumes of water to physically fit and provide enough sustinence. As they ran out of both food and space they began to die off, the largest of them being the first to pass, until there were none left.
There are a few possible specimens that have been preserved in the Coral Spire City, but those are kept inert until the ocean rises again and they can be re-introduced to the world.
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